Key operated cash register



Oct. 31, 1933. A. H. GLEDHILL KEY OPERATED CASH REGISTER Filed June 13,1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 31, 1933.

A. H. GLEDHILL KEY OPERATED CASH REGISTER Filed June 13, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 31, 19 33 v H v UNITED STATES PATENT.UFFICE.

KEY OPERATED CASH REGISTER Arthur Henry Gledhill, Halifax, EnglandApplication June 13, 1932, Serial No. 616,989, and in Great Britain June22, 1931 3 Claims. 235-45) This invention relates to a key operated cashthe key coupler any or everykey of the register register in which meansare provided whereby is formed with a short slot a for the passage of akey or keys can be latched on to a common the key supporting shaft a sothat any or every coupler so that when any other key is pressed the keycan receive the aforesaid displacement in atched key or keys will alsobe depressed and relation to its axis, which may be effected for ex- 5so avoid the necessity for the operator to make ample by moving the keyslightly forward. Pivlong or difiicult stretches when depressing twooted. to the key below the key supporting shaft is distantly spaced keyswith one hand and enable a forked plate a which embraces the shaft a aperson with a small hand to operate the maand has two notches a a formedon one edge chine with ease. It has been proposed to effect to engage aspring pressed pivoted detent a which 0 this latching through mechanismactuated by a maintains the key in either its normal or its dispartialdepression of a key or keys but in this placed position. When the key ispulled forward I arrangement if a key is depressed beyond the the platea is turned by contact with the staamount required to effect thelatching, all the tionaryshaftato cause the notch a to engage the otherkeys become locked and a correct sale which detent a and when the key ispushed back the involves the depression of a number of keys canplate isturned to cause the notch 11 to engage not be registered at thatoperation. Another disthe detent a When the key occupies its dis- Iadvantage of this arrangement is that on the placed position as shown atA the usual slot a return stroke of the keys it is possible to uncouplein the rear end of the key engages the common one or more keys beforethe common key coupler key coupler. Due to the position of the centresreaches the end of its stroke, so as to throw the of the common keycoupler B and of the key machine into an inoperative condition.supporting shaft a the movement of the coupler g The present inventionhas for its object to induring its upward stroke automatically returnstroduce an improved method of effecting the any key occupying adisplaced position to its noraforesaid latching which will be simple inconmal position by the engagement of the coupler 7 struction, positivein action and be free from the with the end of the slot (1 as shown inFig. 3. above mentioned disadvantages. By the invention described anykey which may According to this invention any or every key have beenlatched in error can be unlatched with of the cash register is soconstructed or mounted out having to complete a transaction providingthat it can be displaced in relation to its axis such unlatching is donebefore any key is deto cause the key to engage the common key pressed,but'on the keys being depressed all the coupler so that when another keyis depressed keys are united to the coupler for the full downthe key orkeys so coupled are also depressed. ward and upward stroke, and cannotbe disen- The mechanism is so designed that the coupler gaged from thecoupler until the latter has per- 35 during its upward movementautomatically reformed all the functions for which it is designed.

stores any of the keys which have been so dis- What I claim as myinvention and desire to placed to the normal position. secure by LettersPatent in the United States is:-

In the accompanying drawings: 1. In a key operated cash register or thelike,

Fig. 1 is a section showing two rows of keys the combination of keyseach having a slot for 40 in a normal position in relation to the commona common key supporting shaft, a key coupler for key coupler, andcoupling engagement with the rear ends of the Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing one of the keys, a pivoted member carried by each key and keysdisplaced to engage the common key coupler, associated with said commonshaft for movement and thereby, a second pivoted member arranged ad- 45Fig. 3 shows such key returned to its normal jacent said first mentionedpivoted member and or inward position by the upward movement of carriedby each key, and means carried by said the key coupler. pivoted membersfor retaining the key in a for- A indicates the keys, A a displaced keyand B ward or rearward position. the coupler. 2. In a key operated cashregister, the combi- 50 In the example shown for latching the keys tonation of keys-having a slot for a common key nation of keys each havinga slot for a common key supporting shaft, a key coupler adapted to beengaged by slots in the rear ends of the keys, a forked plate pivoted toeach key below the common shaft and arranged to embrace the latter, thesaid forked plate having two notches formed in one edge, and a springpressed detent adapted to engage one or other of said notches when thekey is moved forward or backwards and retain it in its forward, orrearward position.

ARTHUR HENRY GLEDHR-L.

